Indiana’s bench (along with their ridiculous amount of turnovers) was considered the team’s primary weakness last year, and after upgrading in that department with the acquisitions of Luis Scola, Chris Copeland, and C.J. Watson, Young as an unrestricted free agent finds himself looking for a home for next season.

Multiple teams are reportedly interested, but most recently, Young met with the San Antonio Spurs.

Former Pacer Sam Young is in San Antonio meeting with the Spurs today, his agent tells me. Several other clubs have expressed interest.
If Young signs with the Spurs, he’d join assistant coach Jim Boylen and PF Jeff Pendergraph as offseason poaches from Indy.

There would be some familiarity there with Boylen in place as an assistant coach, and although Young averaged just 2.8 points and 2.2 rebounds in 12.4 minutes per game for the Pacers in the regular season last year, his postseason experience playing against the eventual champs on the big stage could be an appealing quality in a player that would be no more than an addition to the end of the rotation.

It’s worth noting that San Antonio already has 14 players in place with guaranteed contracts for next season, and with the maximum allowed being 15, they’ll likely take their time in finding the right player to round out the roster.

Question is, if Pendergraph and Young weren't taken in the draft before the Spurs pick at #37, would the Spurs still have taken Blair?

Spurd_On

09-09-13 10:28 AM

This is a guy that I see capturing Pop's attention and ending up as a Spur this season. Although his assets far outweigh his weaknesses, here are a few snippets focusing on his weaknesses. None seem to be ones that can not be overcome with proper training.

The fact that he shot 49% from the field on 1.9 Pos/G in the post is a nice compliment to his ability to impact the game with the possessions his teammates create for him, and really highlights the toughness and physicality he brings to the table. Where Young struggles is in his ability to create his own shot , converting on just 17/56 or 30% of his isolation opportunities. His ball-handling skills don’t allow him to be much of a threat in transition or operating on the pick and roll, and he is not particularly prolific in terms of his ability to shoot off the dribble.

The senior's ball-handling skills gave scouts the most pause about his game last season, and while he shows minor improvements, Young is still very much a straight line driver. In the half court set he is still able to get to the basket on a regular basis due to his over exaggerated pump fake and quick first step, but he misses out on some opportunities in transition. Often times he is forced to take a tougher angle to the basket as a result of his inability to effectively change direction with the basketball when in full stride. While he may be able to elevate over defenders with his athleticism to get his shot off now, it will be a much different case in the NBA. With that said though, there are few players in the country who can challenge Young when it comes to finishing in transition. He possesses unbelievable power and athleticism, a combination that makes for a long list of highlight reel finishes when Pitt is able to run in the open floor.

He has a good first step, but is not a very advanced ball-handler, as he doesn’t change directions very well with his dribble, and the ball clearly slows him down. He is able to play off his perimeter shot (often with very effective shot-fakes) to make his way crudely to the basket dribbling with either hand, where he will at times finish with a nice little floater. He doesn’t force the issue too much, seeming to understand his role and limitations quite well, and is very efficient as evidenced by his 51% shooting from the field and 42.4% from behind the arc. Young is terrific finishing around the basket, thanks to his excellent combination of strength, toughness, wingspan, and the fact that he seems to relish contact.

Question is, if Pendergraph and Young weren't taken in the draft before the Spurs pick at #37, would the Spurs still have taken Blair?

Sergio Llull is the best player out of that group if he just played in the NBA<!-- END TEMPLATE: newpost_quote -->

MRJONESIII

09-09-13 12:12 PM

It's always nice to have some familiar chips in place to lure guys in... coach, player from previous team. Plus hall of fame players, coach won't hurt either. He'd be absolutely perfect for us... Attitude, toughness, grit and a true back up small forward who can most likely play along side Kawhi. Nice small ball defensive squad.... Tony, Danny, Leonard, Young and Duncan. That kind of defenses with offense can be useful. I'm all for it.... Sign him already!

"Former Pacer Sam Young is in San Antonio meeting with the Spurs today, his agent tells me. Several other clubs have expressed interest."

Anytime I see that I immediately think, bet he's throwing the Spurs name out there to see if anyone else bites. Seems to me, we very rarely ever, hear ahead of time about anyone who ends up signing with the Spurs.

Spurd_On

09-09-13 11:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelWi101
(Post 1304699)

"Former Pacer Sam Young is in San Antonio meeting with the Spurs today, his agent tells me. Several other clubs have expressed interest."

Anytime I see that I immediately think, bet he's throwing the Spurs name out there to see if anyone else bites. Seems to me, we very rarely ever, hear ahead of time about anyone who ends up signing with the Spurs.

Most definitely. Once the Spurs are in the mix, it usually signals the player ends up somewhere else. However, as mentioned by MrJonesIII, the Spurs may have some "chips" on this one, not to mention he seems like a Pop type worker. This is one position in the Spurs roster where hard work might earn a player some playing time which might also be attractive. Also in my reading today, I noticed that Kevin Durant canvassed hard to get Belinelli to come to the Thunder, making personal calls to him, yet he chose the Spurs. With 2 available roster spots, the Pelicans may be courting Sam Young also. Then there is always the Lakers. Yes Sam Young is not tall but when height is needed backing up Kawhi, Diaw can be used.

<!-- END TEMPLATE: newpost_quote -->

MichaelWi101

09-10-13 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spurd_On
(Post 1304703)

I noticed that Kevin Durant canvassed hard to get Belinelli to come to the Thunder, making personal calls to him, yet he chose the Spurs.

<!-- END TEMPLATE: newpost_quote -->I saw that too, seems to me that SA has a leg up with European (except Russian) players and South American players because of the international feel the team and town has. imho, the city itself has a flavor that is unique among American cities, whenever I'm downtown I notice there's a ton of folks from around the world visiting.

Now if you're a typical inner-city baller from one of the coasts you're not going to automatically like it because it's not exactly a flash and trash kind of place, not a whole lot of bling, much more family oriented....